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T O P I C R E V I E W

Philip

The ISS is a short-sleeve environment but would it be possible to wear a Russian Sokol suit onboard a returning space shuttle or a U.S. orange pumpkin ACES suit onboard a returning Soyuz? I guess it'll all have to do with interfaces/connectors for oxygen, etc.

NavySpaceFan

With the close quarters in a Soyuz spacecraft, I don't think an ACES would fit.

LCDR Scott Schneeweis

Kazbek seats are also conformal (with custom inserts predicated on the geometry of the individual wearing his Sokol)..

Jay Chladek

Not really. The Sokol is pretty integral to the seat liner for high gee reentry in case a Soyuz comes back ballistic. The ACES suit by contrast houses survival equipment needed in case of bailout from a shuttle (very very rare they even could bail out, but the stuff is there). Sokol has no parachute.

LCDR Scott Schneeweis

Is it your contention that the Kazbek inserts are not conformal? Unless things have changed (I used to have a Kazbek seat with liner insert prior to transitioning to US Hardware), there was always a fit check and custom assignment of the inserts to ensure proper tolerances for each of the Soyuz crew members...

Jay Chladek

quote:Originally posted by LCDR Scott Schneeweis:Is it your contention that the Kazbek inserts are not conformal? Unless things have changed (I used to have a Kazbek seat with liner insert prior to transitioning to US Hardware), there was always a fit check and custom assignment of the inserts to ensure proper tolerances for each of the Soyuz crew members...

Nope, not my contention at all. It was more a broad response to the general question as I know the seat liners get transferred with the Sokols during a swap of crewmembers from shuttle to ISS (and thus to a Soyuz) crew. You can't really have one without the other.

As I've understood it, when astronauts and cosmonauts get fitted for their Sokol suits, exact measurments are taken for their Kazbek inserts since the two sort of fit together hand in hand like an astronaut's hand to an EMU glove for maximum effectiveness. As such, I don't think you would get the same gee tolerance on reentry if a Sokol suited cosmonaut were to switch seats in the Soyuz with one of his companions (unless the seat liners were also moved that is or unless the crewmates were of about the same general build).

LCDR Scott Schneeweis

Oh...

Then in the words of my learned Aunt, Roseanne Roseannadanna - never mind.